The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore was using four vendors to dispose of a wide range of municipal trash and medical waste. The hospital wanted a solution that would provide services to handle all forms of waste, including documents falling under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The hospital eventually chose Red Bag Solutions' waste destruction system.
Red Bag's patented SSM technology allowed for on-site destruction of all infectious medical waste and HIPAA information. This removed the need for specialized storage containers at the loading dock, eliminating the odors and liabilities generated by stored medical waste and providing extra space to construct an enclosure for the SSM system. Red Bag assumed responsibility for all medical and municipal trash and provided a single, consistent invoice for all waste management. As a result of the new services, an existing underused compactor was brought up to full capacity.
The medical center achieved an overall 16 percent reduction per year in disposal costs and a substantial staff reduction. By combining Red Bag's SSM technology with a full services contract, the VA achieved its financial goals, reduced its liability by eliminating the transportation of medical waste, and reduced staff and administrative efforts.